Vision
Intent:
Our school is wonderfully diverse with lots of different cultures, languages, and backgrounds. This should be highlighted as an asset and an exciting opportunity to learn about the world around us, and celebrate what makes us special. Our curriculum and provision aims to reflect the diversity of cultures and languages in our school so this should appear within our environments, events and curriculum. As the number of EAL students in schools rises, appropriate provision needs to be put in place to ensure EAL students and their families feel valued, included and supported. Understanding the needs of students using EAL, the key factors that can impact attainment and social and emotional health will inform the way our school integrates provision into its culture and community. This will lead to our cohort of pupils and families using EAL feeling positively regarded and EAL provision being embedded in the classroom and throughout the wider school environment. As a school we are dedicated to providing the best provision to our rising number of children and families using EAL, as a result of this we have included EAL provision into our school development plan for two consecutive years, continuing this year.
Implementation:
The first steps of implementation is understanding the strengths and area of need within our school as a result of the provision we put in place the year before, and now new next steps have been put in place to ensure we are providing the best opportunities for our communities. We are going to continue to work on building a community around our families using EAL and helping them feel valued through holding workshops/community days and ensuring they feel represented in our current celebration’s days. As well as planning more language days so that the children in our school can build a diverse community with each other and feel that they belong. Through analysing the data and talking to children, we are going to pinpoint areas of need and ensure that we are putting provision in place to support different groups of children within our school, for example we are going to look at how we can support our EAL KS2 writers to reach their full potential. Finally, we are going to work as a school unit to support our children through making sure we are effectively using assessment to support children in class, in year groups, across key stages and as a school.
Impact
The impact of this will be that our families will feel that they are part of a community and school that values them, wants to celebrate and learn about their culture and build an environment that reflects the strengths and areas of need of all communities. Our children will feel that we recognise the beautiful differences between them and celebrate who they are as an individual but strive to bring them all together to build a school community that values each other. Our children will also feel supported and that the staff in our school are here to advocate for them so that they can concentrate on being happy, healthy and motivated to be the best that they can be.
International
Embracing Global Diversity and Cultural Awareness
In an increasingly global and multicultural society, it is crucial to nurture children's awareness of the world around them. At Ferndale School, we actively foster this global perspective through cross-curricular connections to different countries and their cultures within our topics. For instance, our Year 4 students delve into modern-day Rome as part of their Romans topic, while Year 3 students explore modern-day Egypt during their Egyptians unit.
Throughout our school, all classes bear the names of famous landmarks from around the world. This journey begins locally in Foundation Stage with classes named Uffington and Avebury. This gradually gets further away, reaching Uluru and Barrier Reef in year 6. At the beginning of each school year, children have opportunity to learn about the culture and life of their given class name.
As a school, we are currently working towards developing links with other schools around the world. We have previously contacted other ‘Ferndales’ around the world and exchanged video clips and letters about their life and culture. Furthermore, we are also working to gain the International School Award. (not sure whether this still applies). Through working towards these, children are given a window into different cultures and countries, preparing them for life in a global society.
We actively celebrate diversity and global cultures through numerous events and activities held throughout the school year. These events provide students with valuable insights into different traditions, languages, and customs, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the rich tapestry of our world.
As a school community, we have been enthusiastically working on the Link Corridor Project. This initiative aims to showcase and celebrate our diverse cultures through visual displays and interactive exhibits. This vibrant corridor serves as a testament to our commitment to cultural awareness and appreciation.
At Ferndale School, we are dedicated to nurturing cultural awareness, celebrating diversity, and preparing our students to become active and engaged global citizens.
Celebrations
In Ferndale we love to celebrate all cultures and we are looking forward to coming together to celebrate lots more celebrations and festivals over the coming year. If you are part of a culture and/or religion and would like to support us to celebrate your tradition in the best way possible, please email the school office and they can forward the information onto Miss O'Sullivan.
Assessment
We use the Department of Education codes and the NALDIC Princples (attached below) to assess the English Proficiency of our pupils, this helps us know what support to put in place and understand the way that they may be feeling:
